Hoping against hope
Book Description
In this deeply personal exploration, renowned philosopher John D. Caputo invites readers into his remarkable spiritual evolution from devout Catholic altar boy to postmodern thinker grappling with faith after the "death of God." This intimate work weaves together autobiography and philosophical reflection, creating a unique meditation on what Caputo terms the "nihilism of grace."
Caputo's journey unfolds through conversations with his former selves, Jackie the young altar boy and Brother Paul the religious novice, alongside encounters with major philosophical voices like Derrida, Lyotard, and Hegel. Rather than abandoning spirituality entirely, he charts a path from traditional faith through profound skepticism toward a transformed understanding of hope and religious practice.
At the heart of this work lies Caputo's vision of the "praxis of the kingdom of God," a way of living and believing that transcends conventional religious boundaries. He argues for pursuing this spiritual path "without why," embracing mystery and uncertainty as essential elements of authentic faith. His goal is neither to destroy religion nor to defend it unchanged, but to reimagine what spiritual life might look like in our contemporary world.
This thoughtful blend of memoir and theology offers both believers and skeptics a fresh perspective on navigating spiritual questions in an age of doubt, presenting hope as something we can cultivate even when traditional certainties have dissolved.
Who Is This For?
📖 Reading Level: Medium (200-400 pages) (~6 hours)
📄 Length: 214 pages
What You'll Discover
- ✓ Explore Theology
- ✓ Explore Postmodern theology
- ✓ Understand death from spiritual perspective
- ✓ Explore Postmodernism, religious aspects
- ✓ Explore Religious aspects
- ✓ Explore Christianity
- ✓ Explore Doctrinal Theology
- ✓ Explore Theology, doctrinal, history, 21st century
